The Untold Story
by Ms. Topaz
Summary: Nobody ever writes about Jared and Kim. I've waited, but I have yet to find any. So I decided to. Starts slow, but it'll get better. Promise.
1. It All Begins

**A/N: Don't...make...me...say it! Fine. I...I don't own Twilight.  
Oh. And I know it doesn't mention Jared's last name in the books, so I looked up Quileute words and the alphabet and came up with Kaliyit. If you don't like it...suggest a better one to me in comments or something and I'll consider it! **

Kim POV

My pencil wanders aimlessly across my notebook page, and my eyelids droop as I zone out, ignoring the teacher's lecture entirely. I rest my chin in my hand and peek, out of the corner of my eye, at the boy sitting next to me:

Jared. Jared Kaliyit.

I've had this gigantic crush on him since kindergarten, and it's never diminished or gone away. We've known each other forever. Our moms actually held play-dates for us when we were in diapers. We lost touch after school started, though. I guess we just grew apart. And he always goes for those really thin, really pretty girls. He even dated Leah Clearwater for a couple of weeks after she got over Sam Uley, even though she's a year older. Of course, she graduated last year, but he's still going for the toothpicks.

I look back at my page:

_Kimberly Elise Blackstone Jared Michael Kaliyit_

_Kim Jaredluv 4ever_

_Mrs. Jared Kaliyit _

_Mrs. Kimberly Elise Michael Kaliyit_

His eyes flicker from the teacher to me, and he catches me staring at him again. My cheeks turn a darker russet, and I quickly cover my notebook with my hands before he can see that I've planned out our entire future out, down to the plants we will have in our windowsills and our children's middle names.

I slam my notebook shut and hunch over it. Jared's eyebrow's scrunch together and he leans slightly away from me, nearly knocking over several test tubes and beakers. He seems nauseous, and looks green under his beautiful skin. I groan inwardly, praying that it's not me that is making him sick. I hope he feels okay. Maybe if he goes home sick I could take him some chicken noodle soup….

"Kimberly Blackstone and Jared Kaliyit! Eyes up front, both of you!" Ms. Alito knocks her knuckles on the blackboard, calling Jared and I back to attention. I blush even harder and flip my notebook back a page, where I was copying down notes. Jared doesn't seem to care, but he turns his eyes slowly back to the front of the classroom.

He makes a point of making his eyes glaze over while everyone is watching, and Ms. Alito gives him a Look. As soon as her back is turned he makes a face, causing a swell of laughter to surge. Ms. Alito chooses to ignore him.

Look at him! I think. He's so funny. And popular…and cute and dreamy and tall and sweet and brave and smart...

The bell rings, throwing my train of thought off its tracks. I hurry out the door, not wanting to make Jared sicker then he already was. I am obviously what is making him queasy. Maybe I repulse him. Do I smell? I sniff myself. I don't think so. I just smell my perfume; Orange Blossom. It's my favorite. My mom got it for me last Christmas.

Maybe he's allergic to oranges? I make a promise to myself to not wear the perfume ever again. Even if it IS my favorite.

**Review please! I'll update as soon as I figure out how. It might take a while, but be patient, please.**


	2. Escalation

-Next week-

I sit in class again at the lab table, waiting for class start. Every time the door opens I whip around- when I'm seated, I face away from the door-hoping to see Jared. He's been out of school for over a week, and I'm worried. I am pathetical, worrying over a boy that has never paid me any attention in my life.

Drumming my nails on the table, I glance over at the empty seat beside me for the sixth time. Each time I will him to appear, and each time I am disappointed again.

Halfway through class, Ms. Alito is droning about the atmosphere and it's "simply fascinating levels" (her words, not mine), when the door opens and closes softly with a soft _click_.

I turn around, curiosity burning in me. My mouth stretches into a relieved grin as I take in Jared, standing there with his chest puffed out. He strides to his seat and collapses into the hard chair. He keeps his eyes on his notebook, not looking at anybody. Especially not me.

"Jared." Ms. Alito says, sickly sweet. "How nice of you to join us. You have missed a lot of work, young man." She glances over at me and my binder, then continues, "Maybe Kimberly can help you with the assignments."

Jared glances over at me, catching my eye through the hair falling over my forehead. His black eyes rove over my face, and then dart away. But they instantly come back to mine-a classic double take that I thought didn't exist outside of movies- and capture them in their intensity. Black fire burns in them, and a spark electricity runs from him to me.

I stop breathing as he reaches up and strokes my face. Just once, and that's all it takes for his intensely hot touch to burn my skin; it's hot, but in the best possible way.

The trail of fire left by his touch almost hurts. I bring my hand up to my face, covering his hand in mine. His mouth curls into a smile when my hand touches his.

He leans in closer to me. His hands burn against my face, but I close my eyes in happiness and pleasure. There's not place I would rather be right now than here. His lips are an inch from mine, and I can feel his breath waft over my face.

"Kim, I-"

He gets cut off by Mrs. Alito grabbing his ear and pulling him to the front of the classroom. He puts on a cool façade, but his eyes betray his fury. He's actually shaking with anger. His hands are twitching, and he clenches them and unclenches them, trying to dispel his fuming.

I hear gasps and wolf-whistles coming from around the classroom. Several kids are staring at me, and I lower my head to the tabletop, willing the ground to swallow me.

"_Mister Kaliyit_!" Ms. Alito screeches. "_What_ is the meaning of this?!"

Jared's eyes never leave mine as he answers, "I love Kim."

All sound stops.

The world stops spinning.

Clouds stop moving.

People stop breathing.

I think I'm one of them.

Ms. Alito's eyes widen and flash to me, then back to Jared. "What did you say?"

Jared's chin just out. "I love Kimberly Blackstone. Is that a problem?"

Her eyebrows rising into her hairline, Ms. Alito says sharply, "It's a problem when you choose to disrupt my classroom with your proclamation of love. I will see _both_ of you in detention after school."

My head snaps up from the desktop as Jared argues further. "No! Don't do that to Kim, she didn't do anything!"

"No!" I protest quickly. "No, it's okay. I'll serve my detention." Several pairs of eyes-including the teacher's-question my sanity. After all, who would willingly serve detention?


	3. Something Big To Tell

**A/N: Okay. I know it's taken me a while to update, but I am new at this, so your patience is going to be tested until I get the hang of it. I AM SO SORRY that this took so long. I had writer block, and I had to write a paper, and I know that these are really bad excuses but they're all I've got. **

**I give you lots and lots of cookies! Now on with the story!**

The bell rings, signaling the end of the day to most kids. But to me it signals the beginning of my personal Nirvana: Spending an hour with Jared.

See, here in schools on the rez, instead of just sitting in a room for an hour, we have to clean up the cafeteria. And the cafeteria is absolutely disgusting. I think that some neglected corners are growing organisms capable of speech. The teachers put whoever got the detention in the room and return in an hour. Not the best or most effective system, true, but suddenly I've never been happier about it.

Now Jared and I can…talk.

And maybe finish the kiss he initiated earlier. I blush at the thought. I knew he was going to kiss me: call it instinct, call it hope, call it whatever the hell you want to, but I knew that he was finally going to fulfill my greatest wish. His lips were going to touch mine.

Fear washed through me, strong and automatic. My dreams were coming true: I was going to be alone with the guy in of my dreams for an hour, with not a single soul around.

And I was completely terrified.

Sure, I liked him. I liked Jared so, SO much. But being one-on-one with him was more then a little bit intimidating. The intimidation was equivalent to a charging bull elephant, or a train hurtling straight for me.

Weaving through the cramped halls, I navigate to the cafeteria. I wrinkle my nose as I enter, flinching at the sound of the metal doors clapping shut behind me. I study the floor and have to fight my gag reflex-from the small section I can see, there are smashed peaches, squashed milk cartons, baked beans, meatloaf and flat bread littering the floor.

I'm so repulsed by our cafeteria that I almost forget that I'm meeting Jared here.

I jump when the double doors slam again. I whirl around, adrenaline pumping. There stands Jared, looking guilty. While I'm paralyzed, he strides over to me and wraps me in a hug.

A burning, blisteringly hot hug.

"Kim," He breathes my name like it's a holy declaration. He sounds like he's in pain, and hugging me is the cure. I melt under his touch, and he hugs me tighter. His chest is deliciously toned, and I revel in the fact that I am finally able to.

I tilt my face to see his-did he get taller? He wasn't that tall last week!-and seeing this as encouragement, his brings his lips to mine. He tastes fire-blazing hot, but oh so sweet, like marshmallows.

My legs have gone weak, like jelly, but I'm thoroughly supported by Jared's strong arms. My head is bent back, almost at a ninety degree angle, but his hand is on the back of my neck, holding me at a comfortable position.

Soon I am actually sweating, and reluctantly I break the kiss, stepping away. Jared's mouth turns down in a frown.

"Was that…not okay?" He asks softly. "Did I go over the line?"

I tried to keep my breathing relatively regular. "N-no. No! That was…absolutely…great. No, it's, um, not your…kissing. It's the fact that you're, uh, really _warm_."

His face goes slack. "Yeah. I, um-Kim, it's like this. I have something big to tell you. Really, really big."


	4. The truth unveiled

**A/N: Yes. I know that my chapters are short. And I'm trying to correct that, but I think that they might always be on the shorter(ish) side. I'm trying my best, I'm still new at this. Oh: And to all the Edward lovers, I love him too. I just felt like writing a wolf story. That's all. Proceed :P**

Last Chap Recap: _His face goes slack. "Yeah. I, um-Kim, it's like this. I have something big to tell you. Really, really big."_

I stare up him uncomprehendingly and shake my head in confusion. "Like what?" My eyes narrow as the warning suddenly strikes home. "How big is 'big'? Like, runaway-bull-heading-straight-for-you big, or rabid-coyote-biting-you big, or tornado-roaring-and-coming-for-you big?"

He looks down at me and tucks a lock of hair behind my ear, seemingly oblivious to my attempt to lighten the situation. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. His eyes tighten around my waist, gripping me closer to him. "Bigger then all of those things…combined."

My eyebrows rise, threatening to disappear into my hairline. He must be exaggerating the magnitude of whatever he wants to tell me.

Instantly I run through the possibility I think of first:

Cancer.

Could Jared have cancer? A horrible thought, true, but that has to be it. It has to be. Nothing I can think of could be worse then cancer. I could deal with that, though. And I wouldn't leave him when he lost his hair to chemotherapy or when the going got tough. I would be right there, by his side. He will beat is, I know he will. I can help him. I can go to his treatments, and know exactly what is going on.

That's what has got him so worried. He must be scared about the fact that he loves me-he said so in class-and that he thinks we have so little time left together. He must think that he's dying. That's so sweet! I can't believe that he's about to be so open with me.

I open my mouth to reassure him, abruptly serious:

"Jared."

He opens, then closes his mouth.

"What?"

"Jared, it's okay. I know. I figured it out by myself."

Now Jared looks frightened.

"You did? Really?"

"Yes. I know that you have cancer. And I want to tell you that I'm here for you. I won't bail on you and I'll-"

"Kim…." Jared looks down at me and kisses my forehead. "Kim, I'm touched. Really. That's nice to know. But I don't have cancer."

I jerk back slightly in surprise. "You don't?"

He laughs once, darkly and without humor. "No. It's bigger then that."

How can it be worse then cancer? "How can it be worse then cancer?"

"Okay. Here's the thing. You know those stories that the elders always tell? Those legends with all the wolves?" He waits until I nod. "Well, those wolves in the stories are werewolves. I am a werewolf."

My eyes widen involuntarily. "What. Did.You. Say." I say incredulously. It's not really a question.

He gulps. "I'm…a werewolf."

I throw my head back and laugh. "Okay, Jared." I say, still getting a small thrill at getting to say his name.

His forehead crinkles. "What? You're…you're okay with it?"

"Sure it's okay that you're a werewolf. And it's okay that I'm a witch!"

A snarl rumbles from his chest, deep inside. "I was afraid of this." He mutters. "I was afraid you would react like this."

"Like what?" I smirk.

"Like this is a big joke!" He shouts. His face turns dark russet and his eyes turn to black fire. He looks positively dangerous. I automatically fight to escape his arms. He instantly lets go, and I run to the other side of the cafeteria. I press my back to the wall and try to breathe.

Jared stands in the middle of the cafeteria, shaking violently. He drops to all fours and arches his back, howling and roaring. Suddenly, with an incredibly loud tearing sound, his form…his _body_, explodes into a million pieces. The pieces reform just as quickly as they blew apart, only they form a giant wolf.

A huge, monstrous wolf. Fifty feet away from me.

That thing isn't Jared. Jared isn't that giant animal. Jared doesn't have those huge, snapping jaws and serrated teeth. Those ropes of…drool aren't part of him. And those eyes…those enormous, coal black eyes that are beyond reason…those aren't Jared either.

But somehow…the wolf, crouching in between two tables, body tensed, reminds me of Jared. The way the wolf-I can't think of it as Jared, it doesn't fit-stands, the way it carries itself, very humbly, yet somehow proudly. It's so…Jared.

And the thick-looking fur-a mix of dark red and brown-is the exact color of Jared's skin.

I stare into the dark eyes, unable to tear my own eyes away. They're so deep and full of soul. They seem…human.

Maybe Jared is telling the truth.

I shut my eyes and wait for the teeth to close around my neck.

After a second and forever, a cold nose bumps my hand. I open my bewildered eyes to see the Jared-wolf standing next to me, taller then my five-foot frame by a good two feet. His lips pull back over his teeth, scaring me again, but his tongue lolls out the side of his mouth, making the frightening look appear comical.

I giggle, and the wolf cocks his head, his ears twitching. The grin stretches wider, and the Jared-wolf lowers himself to the hard linoleum. A giant paw pats the floor, and I can tell it's an obvious invitation to sit. So I do.

Hesitantly I sit face-to-face with the hulking creature. I reach out cautiously and touch the furry face, right above the nose. I lean forward slightly, entranced.

Suddenly his tongue shoots out and he licks my nose.

I lean back, laughing. "Ew! Gross!" I bat his tongue away. He just grins again.

I'm silent for a moment. Then a question forms in my mind. It might be rude, but I don't care. I'm burning with curiosity.

"Why? Why did you…become-is that the right phrasing?- a…werewolf?"

**Ooooh! Cliffie! I know that you know why he became a werewolf, but I felt that that was too much information for Kim to absorb in one chapter. And I tried to make it longer. Is it noticeable?**

**Review please!**


	5. Author's note PLEASE READ

I am totally stuck on this story. Completely. Stuck. I have absolutely no clue how to continue from the last chapter. I know I want Kim to find out why Jared is a wolf, all about vampires, etc, etc, but I can't figure out _how_ to get her there. Can any of you help?

Any ideas at all are highly appreciated. Just review or Private Message me and tell me! Don't be shy, even if you think your idea is dumb, I might very well use it, you don't know. (Kudos to my wonderous beta, Nekoearlover, for all of the fantastic suggestions already).

I'm getting desperate. Please help me continue this story.

Topaz


	6. Explanation

**A/N: I am sososososososo sorry for not updating sooner!!!! I had MAJOR writer's block, then I got the flu, and it was all very…gross. So I apologize to all of you for making you wait. And thanks to all of my pretties who gave me wonderful ideas for this chapter. Special kudos to an anonymous reviewer, who gave me the foundation to write this chapter. I give you candies. **

Last Chap Recap: _"Why? Why did you…become-is that the right phrasing? - a…werewolf?"_

The Jared-wolf cocks his head and whines, a deep note similar to his voice. Belatedly I realize that he can't talk in this…_state_.

"Oops." I clap my hand over my mouth. "You can't talk."

The wolf shakes its gigantic head, rolling its eyes. I blush at my stupidity, and run my hand cautiously over one ear. The Jared-wolf leans his head into my hand, and makes a contended sounding noise. If I didn't know better, I would say that he was…purring. I look down at my hand, nearly obscured by thick fur, and the terror sets in as I realize that I am petting a werewolf. I know instinctively that that is what Jared is; no normal wolf could be this large. There's no more denying it. A hulking, enormous monster I thought only existed in stories. A myth. A legend. A fantasy.

A monster.

Adrenaline once again pumps through my blood, and I scramble to my feet. Running across the cafeteria, I lunge behind some tables and crouch there, barely lifting my head above the level of the tables to stare at the wolf.

The Jared-wolf lumbers to its feet and stares at me. It takes a step toward me, then another.

"Stay back!" I scream. I run further from the huge beast, pressing my back against the far wall of the cafeteria. I look around the room, trying to find a way out. My frantic gaze roves past a clock. Amid all the fright, I notice blindly that its 4 o'clock. Already?

That means that this detention is over!

I edge around the giant wolf, who makes no move to stop me. Heart pumping, I run as fast as I can out the double doors and into the hallway. I pause for a second, waiting for the tread of heavy paws to start behind me. When I hear nothing, I resume my frantic run.

I don't stop until I reach my front door- five miles away. I'm gasping, and my feet are sporting lovely blisters. I slam the door closed and lean against it, my chest heaving.

"Kim?" A voice calls from the kitchen. "Kimberly?"

Oh no. It's my mother.

"Kim? Are you alright?"

I smooth my hair and breathe deep through my nose. "Yeah." I call. "Yes, I'm fine."

Mom comes out of her habitual spot, right in front of the stove, and scuttles over to me, wiping her hands on her dress. "Are you sure? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

I shake my head quickly, dousing images of the snarling wolf in my head. "I'm fine...just…tripped on the front porch steps. Must be the adrenaline!" I laugh, half hysterical. I brush my hair out of my eyes and try to wriggle past Mom.

She stops me. "You sure you're okay?"

I nod wearily. "Yes, I am _fine_."

She nods suspiciously, but disappears back into the kitchen. I catch a couple of words, including, "teenagers" and "hormones".

I trudge up the stairs and collapse on my bed, staring out the window with wide eyes. What if Jared follows me home? What if he can jump as high as my second story window? What if….

What if I'm being completely paranoid?

I let out a shaky laugh. I'm being silly. This is just a dream. One giant dream. I've dreamed the entire week. I'll wake up and find out that Jared is still lusting after toothpicks, and that I'm still ignored, and that he didn't proclaim his love for me in front of the entire class, and that-

My rambling is cut off by a knock on the door.

My heart jumps into my throat while my stomach drops to my feet. What if it's Jared as the wolf? Sweat beads appear on my forehead as I hear Mom open the door.

_Please let it not be Jared please let it not be Jared please let it not be Jared-_

"Kimberly! It's Jared…Kaliyit!" Mom bellows up the stairs. I bury my head in my pillow, intent on ignoring her. Maybe he'll go away if I don't come down.

I stay up here for a minute, until mom bellows again, "Kimberly Elise! Get down here!"

Reluctantly, I throw my pillow across the room and slip down the staircase, where I can see the front door and Jared, but he can't see me. A large fern blocks his view.

I edge around the fern and walk ten steps until I stand sheepishly next to my mother.

"Hey." Jared mumbles. He looks as uncomfortable as I feel, and he looks pointedly at my mom, who is standing, twisting her fingers. I stare up at her until she flushes, mutters a "sorry" and scoots away, presumably back to the kitchen. I think she lives in there.

I can't meet his gaze as I mutter, "Hi."

He reaches out and gently takes hold of my hand. "I'm sorry."

I gawk at the sight of our hands together. I think I just died and went to heaven.

"For what?" I finally stop looking at our hands, intertwining fingers and stare up at him. Why is he apologizing? I'm the one who was stupid and freaked out.

"For scaring you!" He says, surprised. "Aren't you afraid of me?"

I wait for a second before I give my answer, so that I'm not lying to him. "No. I just…overreacted."

"Kim." Jared's tone is colored with disbelief. "You're not afraid of the fact that I'm…a monster?"

"Well. Yeah, I am. Sort of. But it's just kind of surprising. You just…exploded. From this," I flip my hand at him, reveling in his perfectly muscled body, "to that giant…._thing_. How? And…why?"

He seems to hesitate. He fidgets, and then says, "I'll explain over dinner. Seven okay?" His handsome face breaks into a perfectly symmetrical grin, making his eyes crinkle the tiniest bit around the corners and showing a small chip in his left front tooth.

I grip his fingers tighter and say, simply, "Perfect. Pick me up here." I smile up at him, calm in knowing that I'll have all my answers in three hours.

"Cool." Jared says, and reaches down and kisses me gently. His lips are soft and warm against mine, and he disentangles our finger and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him. Again I notice the sheer heat of him; he feels like he's got a temperature of 500 degrees. I'm slowly melting into a puddle against his chest. And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else then right here.

Finally I'm so hot that I'm sweating like I do after a long run, and reluctantly I break away. His short black hair is slightly rumpled from my hands running through it, and my lip gloss is all over his. He wipes it away on the back of his hand and laughs softly.

"Why-why are you so…warm, all the time?" I gasp. He grins impishly.

"That's one thing I'll explain tonight." He whispers.

Then he kisses my forehead and takes off running into the trees.

XXX

I stare in the mirror one last time and mess with my necklace. It's 6:58. This is my last chance to change my shoes or add some more jewelry or do anything else.

Last chance, Kim. Last chance.

The doorbell rings, and I rush downstairs before Mom or Kyle-a twelve year old annoyance known as my brother-can intercept it.

I fling open the door, and there stands Jared, enclosed by the white door frame. He hands me a single white rose. "For you." He says quietly.

I blush, and he tucks the flower into my hair.

"You look great." He says tenderly.

I flush harder and mumble, "Thank you. Come on; let's go before my brother can find us!"

Jared grabs my hand and pulls me out to his car. It's small, it's black and it's rusty, but an old car has never looked so good before. Jared opens my car door and shuts it behind me.

"Where are we going?" I ask once the car is in motion.

"A place is Port Angeles-Café Bella. Do you like Italian?" Jared questions.

Thank god. Other then the lemon salmon my Grandma Delilah makes on holidays, pasta primavera is my favorite food. I nod enthusiastically. "Love it."

"Perfect."

Fifty minutes later, we arrive in Port Angeles. Jared is so easy to talk to-not intimidating at all, considering that he's adorable, and popular, and so funny, and I'm…shy and awkward and klutzy.

Jared and I. Kimberly and Jared. The oddest couple.

Jared takes my hand as he opens the door for me. I am immediately enveloped in a gust of warm air infused with mozzarella, marinara and ravioli. I close my eyes and inhale. "Mmm." I hum. "Smells great already."

"Hi! Welcome to Café Bella!" The hostess chirps from behind her stand. "Just the two if you?" When Jared nods, she sings, "Great! Follow me!"

Oh my god. She has to be on…. _Something_. Something illegal: Nobody is naturally that perky. It's not possible. I look at Jared, and notice that his eyes are wide and he look scared for his life. He looks down at me, and I mirror his expression. That gets a small laugh out of him.

She leads is to a small table up against a window. "How's this for ya?" She asks; it's not really a question. She puts our menus down and hops away, ready to scare the next customers who walk through the door.

Jared and I sit. I pick up my menu, but I already know what I'm going to order. I look up from the menu-where I've been eyeing the pasta primavera-at Jared, only to find him staring at me.

I blush. "What?" I ask self-consciously.

He just shakes his head and takes my hand again. "Nothing. It's just that…you're not scared? Of me?"

I decide to mess with his mind, just a bit. "Do you want me to be?"

He looks taken aback. "No! But it's natural to be afraid of a boy who can explode into a giant wolf."

I've completely forgot why we're even on this date. So I can get answers! I can't believe I forgot. Now: down to business.

I take a sip of water. "So." I grab his fingers tighter. "Why are you so…warm, all of the time?"

Jared shrugs. "It's just a werewolf thing. We all run a temperature of about one-oh-eight." He grins mischievously. "I can also heal really fast."

"Why _did_ you become a wolf, anyway?"

Jared sighs. "You know those legends that the elders always tell? The ones with wolves and their enemies…the cold ones?"

I nod. I loved listening to those stories when I was little. I always got goosebumps. "Yeah."

"Well. The wolves are the werewolves, obviously. And the old ones…are vampires."

That takes my calm façade and throws it out the window. "Excuse me?!" I let go of his hand and lean toward him. "_What did you just say_?!"

Jared opens his open, and then closes it as a waiter scoots over to us. "Hello. Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" He asks. Thank god he's not perky like the hostess.

Jared looks toward me.

"I'll…have a…Pepsi. And the pasta primavera." I say.

He looks back toward the waiter. "I'll have a Coke. And…the pepperoni pizza."

The waiter nods and hurries away.

"That's predictable." I tease. "Pepperoni pizza? You can buy that at school! For two bucks!"

"Well." Jared says. "It's real food here. Not cardboard."

"So. Continue. What were you going to say?"

"Now that that's over….yes. I am a werewolf because there are…vampires around. A big colony of them lives in Forks."

FORKS?! That's only fifteen minutes away from the reservation! "What…seriously?" I ask, incredulous.

He nods wearily. "Yeah. There are…seven, I think."

I look around the room frantically. "Are there any near the rez...?"

He shakes his head and grabs both of my hands in his. "No! I would smell them if they got close…and I'll never let any of them close to you. And besides-"

Jared breaks off and whips his head around, staring blackly at the doors to the restaurant. "Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear. Filthy bloodsucker." He spits out. I turn my head to look.

"What?"

"One of those…leeches is here. With a _human_." He turns back to me and sees my wide eyes. "Don't worry! They aren't supposed to be dangerous. They drink from animals, not people. But we keep 'em off the rez, just in case."

"Oh." Irresistibly, my eyes are drawn back to vampire and the human next to him. He's handsome, almost to the point where it hurts to look at him. His skin is white-not pale cream or skin colored-it's completely milk white. His reddish-brown hair falls slightly into his eyes, which are an unnatural deep gold. And I can smell him; he smells sweet, like the best, most exotic cologne is the world. But it hurts my nose; it's too sweet. I feel like I smell a vat of hard candy. The girl next to him is short and sort of curvy, with long brown hair and dark eyes. She's very beautiful, but seems almost homely next to the god-like vampire. She's shorter then him by a good ten inches. They don't touch at all, not even holding hands, but they appear to be together anyway.

"He's…handsome, isn't he?" Jared asks scathingly. I roll my eyes. I think…could Jared be jealous? I run my thumb over his knuckles.

"I suppose so…but he's not normal! He makes me feel creepy all over. Like ants are crawling on me." I say, shivering. "That's not natural."

"You're right. They're not normal. And they don't age. I'd bet my left hand that that leech has been alive for-"

Our waiter comes scurrying over to our table, loaded down with my pasta and Jared's pizza. "There you go!" He says cheerfully, and vanishes into the kitchen.

Jared continues like nothing happened. "-over a century."

I choke on my Pepsi.

XXX

The rest of the evening goes without incident. Mostly. We finished eating quickly, because Jared nearly exploded into a wolf right there in the restaurant when the hostess led the vampire and the girl to a table only a couple of seats away. Luckily they moved, but Jared snapped his knife in half, and that got some strange looks from some of the other patrons.

After a long walk on the beach on the rez-Jared gets around to explaining everything else, including imprinting. Apparently he's imprinted on me. And it's rare, he says. That make me feel special. And now I know that I'll be his forever-and a long, impromptu kiss on the pebbly sand, Jared reluctantly deposits me on my front step.

I grab him around the neck and lean into his chest. "I had a great time. Thanks for answering my questions."

"You're my other half. I _have_ to explain things to my other half." Jared teases gently. I laugh, and slowly open my front door.

"Bye. See you at school." I whisper, and shut the door behind me.

Mom and Kyle must be asleep, because all the lights are off. I take my shoes off and tiptoe up the stairs, careful to skip the squeaky fifth step.

I change into cutoff sweatpants and a baggy shirt that would be too big even on a giant and crawl into bed.

I fall asleep happy, confident that everything would be fine. The guy I love loves me back: he's my soul-mate. Sure there's a colony of vampires right down the road, but I know that Jared will protect me.

Everything is going to be alright.

**Yay! That is my longest chapter ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seven pages on Word, and 2, 627 words!!!!!!!!! Wheeee! That is, also the end of the story. Yes. I know. Kind of sad. I might write a sequel, but then again, I might not. I have to work on my other non-oneshot story, A New Perspective and get THAT one finished before I can even consider writing a sequel to this one. **

**Love you all, Topaz**


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